Immunizations and you

As you may know, I answer the phone in the missionary department on Monday mornings and Tuesday afternoons.  I keep track of all the phone calls on a spreadsheet on the computer. The majority of calls are those seeking information about immunizations. The missionary department wants all the missionaries entering the mission field to be protected against infectious diseases. Some calls are from parents who do not want their child to be immunized. We tell them that they can serve, but their service will be limited to their country of origin, so they will not be exposed to certain contagious diseases.

The brethren do not want to expose the missionaries to any diseases when they are unprotected.

This post is not about vaccines for hepatitis, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, or German measles (TdaP, IPV and MMR).
I want to discuss a different kind of immunization. As parents today we should be worried about something that can cause a permanent disability or even death. It is called sin. While serving in Frankfurt, I was quoted as saying, " Illness like sin is best treated early in its course".  We, of course, do not want either one in our life.  Spiritual illness is in epidemic proportions in our world. Unfortunately, it is going to get worse and not any better. What can Saints do to keep from getting infected by the plague of sin that is sweeping the earth in the days prior to the coming of The Son of Man of Holiness?

My recommendation is that we immunize the children. Not only with the vaccines as mentioned above, but with something that will immunize them and protect them against the plague of wickedness that is so prevalent in the earth.

What are a few of these immunizations?

The apostle Paul compared these to armor. It is true that we need armor to protect us from the “fiery darts of the adversary”, but what about the small germs such as bubonic plague that enter into our lives surreptitiously?  We can immunize with faith, but that is something that we cannot give to another person. It has to come from a desire within. The doctor or other professional administers the immunization and then the individual develops the immune protection as a result. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said.” Real disciples absorb the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith with one hand, while holding to the iron rod with the other.” Holding on to the iron rod requires immunization.

We you and I, then, have to be the professional that administers the spiritual immunization.  So, when do we start? In the later years of my practice I would start the shots when the baby was in the hospital or at the first week visit. They got shots in regular intervals until they went to college.

What do we need to do to spiritually immunize the individual so that they can develop the immunity against the spiritual plagues? I call this vaccine PTSRS.
First, start immunizing early with PTSRS.

Prayer

Prayer is a good thing to start with. Pray to The Lord that He will send you choice spirits to teach. Pray over them in their crib. Pray to The Lord when they are toddlers and let them hear you pray for them by name. Pray together as a family twice daily, morning and night. Let The Lord know you are thankful for trusting you with their care.

Teach

Teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. In today's world, do not rely on the church and church programs such as seminary to teach them the doctrines of the kingdom. Do not stop with just family home evening. Family home evening is important, but not enough. Take time to have unscheduled visits one on one or impromptu family gospel discussions.

Scriptures

Reading the scriptures daily is good, but without understanding it is not a powerful enough antigen to protect the host. Be a gospel scholar and teach your children to excel in gospel knowledge. Proper knowledge is power. In these days there are probably one thousand anti-Mormon sites to one in favor of the church. There are too many of our members who have not been properly immunized and without true knowledge will lose their fragile testimony. The time is now when the sifting prophesied by Heber C. Kimball is going on.
The scripture was often quoted in my family when I was growing up: " Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) It is important to understand the scriptures and the doctrine. I am still learning and being enlightened by my study.

Rules

We used to have family rules.  Every once in a while we would go over the family rules. We even had rules for dating. Each family has to have rules of conduct for the family. One of our rules was that our children could not have friends over to the house when the parents were not home. We had other rules as well.

Spirituality

Make the place where you live a place where those who come and go will feel the spirit of The Lord. Make your home a place of spiritual refuge from the world.  A place where there is no contention and that your children can come and know that they will not be criticized or mocked or put down. President Harold B. Lee said that the holy places that we should stand in when the judgments of God would wash over the earth should not only be the temples, but our homes as well. 

The scripture states that “out of small things procedeth that which is great”. Just as it does not take a lot of vaccine to immunize against the aforementioned diseases, it does not take a lot of spiritual vaccine, but it needs to be constantly administered in small doses. My professor of pediatrics used to say, “ The dose is enough”. What is enough for one person may be too much or not enough for the other. This may not be the only vaccine that is needed, but start here and perhaps you will find another vaccine that is needed as well.

The spirit will guide you.

Love,
Grandpa